|
Kitsune Lina
Problems at Work "It would have been a mistake for me to leave at the moment you called," Xellos explained. Xelas, in her human form, stood up languidly and approached her general. She exhaled a cloud of smoke into his face and arched an eyebrow.
"You have been behaving erratically over the past year and a half," Xelas noted. "Disappearing at odd times, interferring with matters that have nothing to do with me or you. And now, now I call and you don't only refuse to answer, you actually close the link."
"I was not aware..." Xellos started.
"You did not even know you closed the connection," she snapped, circling him.
"I have not failed you, Master," Xellos offered.
"What do you mean by that?"
"You assigned me to watch over the gold dragon and her adopted child," Xellos said. "I have not failed in my assignment."
"I've been having you watched," Xelas said abruptly, walking to her throne and sitting down.
"What?" he asked levely, insulted.
"Be careful how you speak," she warned him.
"How can you think that I.."
"I warned you to take more care with your speech." For a moment the Beastmaster's human form melted away leaving a giant wolf roaring in anger. Xellos went to his knees and examined the floor as she calmed down and returned to human form. "I do not need to have a reason to watch you. I can do whatever I wish with you, and there was a time that you knew that."
"I still know that," Xellos answered.
"Do you?" she asked. "Perhaps you are having thoughts."
"I don't know what you mean by that."
"Do not insult my intelligence." She exhaled another cloud of smoke that floated to the top of her chamber and joined the growing cloud above. "Perhaps you can explain why you've been spending so much time hiding and protecting Lina. The sorcer...oh I'm sorry, she can't cast magic any more...can she?" Xellos frowned at the floor.
"Regin is back," Xelas blinked and lost her momentarily amused expression. Xellos restrained his amusment at her disturbed expression, it would not help matters if she picked up on that. "I believe you said that he should be stopped as soon as he showed his face again."
"I know my own decrees," she snapped. "If that is so, then why is the rogue not put down already?"
"He is...greater than before," Xellos admitted from his kneeling position.
"I see, and you think Lina is another of the five from that ridiculous prophecy of his."
"He believes so, it was him that arranged her current condition." Xelas arched an eyebrow and Xellos hoped that his general anger at the moment had hidden the rage towards Regin.
"And that is the only reason that you are leading her along?" she sounded doubtful.
"Well, there are some other perks," he smiled lustily.
"So I understand," Xelas returned the smile. Then her face turned hard again. "We'll have to do something about her after Regin is dealt with."
"Why waste the effort?" Xellos asked, looking up. "Without her magic she'll grow old quickly, even as a were-fox."
"And of course the children will prove useful," Xelas mused, ignoring Xellos. The priest's face remained impassive, but there was another spark of rage.
"It would be simpler just to let them be," Xellos suggested, a little louder. Xelas extended a hand outward and Xellos was thrown back against a wall. Xellos climbed to his feet with the aid of his staff, then he was struck into the wall again. This time he didn't try to stand.
"You will remember not to question my decisions," Xelas growled.
"I only meant to save you some trouble, Master," Xellos gasped. The small crater in the wall grew again as he was struck again.
"It really is too bad that you weren't born mazoku," Xelas' voice had a mock mourning quality. "I wouldn't have to periodically remind you how things work around here." Xellos laughed.
"If I hadn't been born human," he coughed. "I wouldn't understand them, and I wouldn't be as capable as I am."
"Understanding the walking meals is fine," Xelas agreed. "Just don't act like them. The very idea is disgusting." Xellos did not speak as he rose to a kneeling position. "We'll discuss the fox later, if she really is all that good, perhaps I'll find a place for her here." She leaned back and grabbed a gobblet of wine sipping it as she pondered that idea. Xellos regarded her calmly, he was already healing and his normal cheerful expression had returned to his face.
"We shall discuss Lina again," he promised, the Beastmaster, having already mentally dismissed her general, failed to notice the threatening intonation behind the statement. Xellos vanished away from the island. "You can find out nothing about Lady R'Lyeh's temple," Philoniel asked.
"Yes, your highness," the captain responded.
"And this lack of information is why you don't trust them?"
"Your highness, I could find nothing on them beyond what they themselves claim," he said. "There is no information on them, no leads, no rumors, nothing."
"That is suscpicious," Philoniel agreed. "Perhaps my daughter discovered something about them and she and her friends endeavoured to save R'Lyeh from their vile clutches."
"As you say sir," the captain said enthusiastically. The mazoku stumbled towards Filia's house and sat down outside. He had mostly healed Xelas's beating, but he didn't want to walk in there even as he was. He leaned back against the wall and rested. Ten minutes later he vanished again and stood by the bed as Lina snored on.
"I promised you that I wouldn't let anyone hurt you again," he whispered, brushing one ear which twitched at the slight touch. "That includes her."
He kissed Lina's forehead and laid down on the empty side of the bed. Lina rolled over and reached her arms around him, Xellos worried for a moment that she was awake and had heard him. Then the were-fox snored again and clutched closer to him, and he relaxed. "Well, it isn't what I expected," Zelgadis admitted.
"What did you hear?" Amelia asked.
"From the sounds of things Xelas is threatening Lina," Zelgadis said. "And Xellos seems set on getting in her way."
"He does love her then," Amelia whispered wonderingly.
"Let's hope the beastmaster waits until after we deal with the current problem," Zelgadis said, not commenting on Amelia's comment.
"Don't worry about it Zelgadis," she wasn't calling him Zelgadis-san anymore, but that was as informal she got at the moment. "We had no reason to trust him."
"I've misjudged situations too much for my liking recently, what if I'm wrong about?"
"I hope you're not doubting me," Amelia gasped.
"No I don't doubt you," he said, confidently. Amelia smiled then.
"Well, good night," she gave him a quick kiss and walked off towards the girls' room.
Previous Chapter
Main
Next Chapter |